Ruby

Birthstone: July Family: Corundum (has the same chemical composition as sapphire) Colour: Pale to deep red Hardness: 9 (as per Mohs hardness scale) Sources: Mainly Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka Interesting Facts: Named after its colour ‘ruber meaning red in Latin. The red colour is created by the presence of chromium in the crystal. After diamond, corundum is the hardest material, and, the emery found on nail files is made from finely ground corundum. Due to the rarity of large and fine ruby, ( large rubies often being rarer than comparably sized diamonds), it is one of the most valuable of all the gems.